Nov. 26, 2010

2010 Ig Nobel Prizes

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and that definitely means two things: leftovers, and ridiculously crowded shopping malls. But faithful Science Friday listeners know that it's also time for our annual broadcast of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, recognizing the strange, silly, and stupid in the world of science. The Ig Nobel awards were given out this year in early October by the editors of the science humor magazine the Annals of Improbable Research. Join Ira Flatow in this hour of Science Friday for our post-Thanksgiving selection of highlights from the 20th First Annual awards ceremony -- including research into the pain-relieving effects of swearing, techniques for collecting whale snot, and the health effects of having a beard.